College football blog: More on John Carroll's NFL ties

Greg Debeljak traces John Carroll's run of NFL success from the classes of the 1990s to the Polians.

Debeljak -- a Mentor grad who was an assistant coach at John Carroll, his alma mater, from 1988 to 2000 -- said Chris and Brian Polian started it all when they committed to John Carroll.

Chris Polian, who was promoted to vice president and general manager of the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 27, 2009, committed to the Blue Streaks out of St. Francis High School in Buffalo. Tom Telesco, another St. Francis grad, followed two years later, and Brian Polian (now Stanford's special teams coordinator) two years after that.

Chris Polian is a 1993 John Carroll grad, and Telesco, the Colts' director of player personnel, is a '95 JCU alum.

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They were succeeded as Blue Streaks football players by Redskins Pro Bowl linebacker London Fletcher (JCU Class of 1998), Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio (1999) and Broncos coach Josh McDaniels (1999).

Said Debeljak, who is now Case Western Reserve's head coach: "It started with the Polians, and after that it was all about connections. Tom Telesco went to high school with the Polians in Buffalo. Greg Roman's (a 1994 JCU grad with 13 years of NFL coaching experience who is now the assistant head coach at Stanford) father was connected with an NFL strength coach, so that's how he got his shot. Josh's dad helped him get a GA position at Michigan State because he knew (Nick) Saban because Saban would recruit his players. And Josh helped Nick get started (with the Patriots).

"It all kind of was connected."

Their NFL success might have had a common denominator -- connections and a tireless work ethic -- but the former Blue Streaks had another: Former coach Tony DeCarlo.

DeCarlo, who has been affiliated with John Carroll since 1964, was its football coach from 1987 to '98.

DeCarlo remembers his first talk with Bill Polian, the Colts' president and former Bills front office boss, when he was recruiting Chris.

"I spoke to their dad, Bill Polian, and they wanted them in a good academic environment and to be part of football program," DeCarlo said. "We met with the family, they loved the campus and the Jesuit tradition, and they signed on pretty quickly. They brought Telesco along, too."

In all, John Carroll has six high-profile current NFL figures (see our story from Monday's editions) -- Chris Polian, Caserio, Fletcher, McDaniels, Telesco and Dave Caldwell, a 1996 JCU alum who is the Falcons' director of college scouting.

According to a list provided by DeCarlo and News-Herald research, there are 18 former Blue Streaks who have played, coached or worked in an NFL front office (see corresponding chart).

Said Caserio, a University grad who threw for 8,434 yards in his record-setting John Carroll career: "We've been pretty fortunate to be in the positions we're in. Everybody has a job to do, and we're doing it to the best of our ability."

More memorable quotes from Caserio, Debeljak and DeCarlo on JCU's many connections:

-- Debeljak, on the work ethic of McDaniels and Caserio, good friends and prolific former high school quarterbacks: "Josh is a product of his dad (Thom, a legendary former coach at Canton McKinley). He's been involved with some big-time coaches, including Bill Belichick, but I think he would tell you the No. 1 influence in his life was his dad, still to this day.

"Nick would spend 18 hours at the office and outwork everybody. Those are their personalities. That's the type of guys they are."

-- Debeljak, on John Carroll's defense, led by Fletcher, in 1997: "Our defense was loaded. You talk about studs. Scott O'Donnell from Lake Catholic was there. London came in and there was no comparison to anyone. He was 235 (pounds) and ran a 4.5 40(-yard dash). Our defense was loaded with athletes. It was a fun time. It was a close-knit group. We didn't do a lot of ones vs. ones, but when we did, London was incredible to watch."

-- Caserio, on Fletcher, his teammate with the Blue Streaks for three seasons: "His sophomore year, he barely played. His junior year, he ended with however many tackles and had a great career. He's such a unique guy athletically. He is so physically gifted, he didn't belong on the field with the players. We thought he would get an (NFL) opportunity from somebody.

"I marvel at what he's done in the NFL. I think he's the top tackler in the NFL since 2000 or 2001. He's been durable. It's nice to be able to catch up with him before the games (when the Patriots have played against Fletcher). It's a source of pride for everybody at the school. There are a lot of guys who haven't been able to play as many games as he has from a durability standpoint. For a smaller school, that's a great source of pride."

-- Caserio, on McDaniels, who helped him get his start with the Patriots in 2001: "Josh, when he came in as a freshman, he and I cultivated a relationship. We would go watch his brother, who was playing quarterback at the time for his dad at Canton McKinley. We roomed together and we spent a lot of time around one another. He's one of the smartest football players I was around. He mentally had that football acumen that you knew he would be successful in some capacity. His dad was very successful and kind of served as a role model. Quite frankly, the success he has enjoyed isn't a surprise."

-- Caserio, on working closely with Patriots coach Bill Belichick: "He's great to work for. He allows you to do your job. He lets you figure things out on your own. He's a great listener. You're talking about arguably one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. But he keeps an open mind. He enjoys challenging you. I enjoy getting up every day to do my job. He is outstanding, he really is. He works at it as much as any coach. On the personnel side, he puts it on your shoulders to give him answers. He lets his coaches coach and he lets people to do their jobs."

-- Caserio, on the NFL draft (the Patriots have a league-high four of the top 53 overall picks in the draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday): "It's kind of a culmination of a yearlong process for a lot of people. It's earmarked. It's become larger than life. Now it's on prime time and it's going to be spread over three days. But it's just one piece of the puzzle. It's an important piece, but the most important thing is by that day, you should be prepared."

-- DeCarlo, on Caserio taking over as JCU's starting quarterback in 1995, and McDaniels' eventual move to wide receiver: "Their freshman year, Nick had his opportunity to be the starter. We had a senior who started the first game of the season against Ohio Wesleyan. He broke his leg, and Nick came in and stayed there the rest of his career. He never let it go. You couldn't make changes with a guy throwing the ball the way he was and playing the way he was.

"As time went on, we talked to Josh about moving to wide receiver. He was a team guy, and he made the move, and that was it. He was one of our top wide receivers. Greg Debeljak was coaching with us at that time, and he did a great job with Josh."

McDaniels caught 41 passes in his final two seasons at John Carroll, and Caserio was 33-7-2 in his career at the starting quarterback.